Two-thirds of French respond to ‘3 strikes’

Around two-thirds of the French say they would stop downloading copyrighted material from illegal sites if threatened with the penalties included in the country’s Hadopi (‘3 strikes). The finding was part of a survey by Ifop for the recording industry association SNEP, which was interested in knowing how effective the Hadopi agency may prove, as it starts services this summer.

While 69 per cent said they would stop downloading if threatened with the fine of E1,500 or having their internet access blocked, 40 per cent of 15-24 year-olds said this would not be a disincentive. Almost 80 per cent of respondents said they would also be willing to monitor internet usage by their children or others to avoid risking the sanctions. Sixty-six percent said the warning e-mails issued by Hadopi to stop the illegal activity would be enough to turn them away from illegal sites. Just over 30 per cent said the warning mails would be the best way to stop the online piracy, while 21 per cent supported legal sanctions and 44 per cent saw blocking access to the illegal sites as the most effective measure. Amid industry and government efforts to encourage more legal download offerings, 69 per cent of respondents said a subscription offer for less than E10 would contribute to a significant reduction in their illegal downloads. The survey was conducted in early July among a representative sample of the national population